Knitting machine



April 18, 1961 F. w. WAKEFIELD 2,979,927

KNITTING MACHINE Filed oct. 2, 195e 4 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR.

FRANK W. WAKEFIELD gli! EZ j

V ATTORNEYS F. W. WAKEFIELD KNITTING MACHINE April 18, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed OG'L. 2, 1956 INVENToR.

FRANK W. WAKEFlELD FIG. 2.

ATTO RN EYS April 18, 1961 F. w.wAKEF1E| D KNITTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 2, 1956 FIG. 4.

FIG. 3.

D. L REW/m 0F ME EK r VA mW. W

K w, N

CIV.

ATTORNEYS April 18, 1961 F, W, WAKEFlELD 2,979,927

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 2, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 F l G. 6.

INVENTOR.

FRANK W. WAKEFIELD BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent O KNrrTrNG MACHINE Frank W. Wakefield, Valley Stream, N.Y., assignor to Scott & Williams, Incorporated, Laconia, N.H., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Oct. 2, 1956, Ser. No. 613,548

11 Claims. (Cl. 66-14) This invention relates to knitting machines and has particular reference to the production of rib and float designs through the use of superposed cylinder circular knitting machines.

It is known that attractive designs may be produced by knitting selectively two or more yarns on a multi-feed knitting machine in a rib fabric. If a plain fabric is knit with selective knitting and floating of the yarns the designs which may be produced are considerably restricted from a practical standpoint by limitations on the lengths of acceptable floats. However, if the fabric has alternate or closely arranged rib wales in which all active yarns are knit the floats may be kept relatively short. Furthermore, in 1 x l or narrow rib fabric the rib stitches are almost invisible on the frame stitch face of the fabric unless it is unduly stretched and consequently, the rib stitches do not detract from the desirable appearance of the patterned frame stitches. Thus, particularly, in relaxed rib fabric it is possible to produce what effectively appear to be extended areas of a single color despite the fact that the rib wales are knit multi-feed and at the rsame time some of the elasticity lost by the oats isV restored by the ribs.

While fabrics of this type are known, it is the general object of the present invention to provide for and furnish in a superposed cylinder knitting machine of the type normally used for links-links work a simple method for producing float or so-called jacquard type fabric. In accordance with the present invention, a machine which has jack selecting means associated with a cylinder arranged to produce rib stitches is so constructed that the jack selecting means controls needles in the other cylinder to produce selective knitting and floating, the patterns being provided on the frame needles while the rib knitting takes place continuously attwo feeds. Specifically, there are utilized the operations normally involved in needle transfer to push frame sliders in alternative paths to effect selection. Cross-over is used so that each needle which knits at the main ,feed will miss the yarn at the auxiliary feed and vice versa.

The attainment of these results and of other objects of the invention relating to details of construction and operation will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a Vvertical section taken through a portion of a knitting machine provided in yaccordance with the invention;

Figure 2' is an inside development of various slider and jack cams utilized in carrying out the present invention;

Figure 3 is an elevation ofy a stocking having spaced two-needle rib wales flanked by panels of frame fabric with a'tvvo color pattern made by selectively floating either of two yarns.

Figure 4 is a diagram of the stitch formation occurring in the small area in the dottedsquare shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an elevation of another stocking provided ice Z in accordance with the invention, this stocking having so-called argyle design; and

Figure 6 is a diagram of the stitch formation occurring in the small area in the dotted square shown in Figure 5.

There are sho-wn in the drawings and will be described only those parts of a complete knitting machine particularly concerned with the invention, it being understood that the machine is otherwise conventional and of the well-known superposed cylinder type. Structurally, the machine differs little from that disclosed in Bristow Patent 2,717,509, dated September 13, 1955, and reference may be made to that patent for various details of construction of conventional parts as well as for discussions of pertinent conventional operations which have nothing to do with the presentinvention.

Referring particularly to Figure 1, the upper cylinder of the machine is indicated at 2 and is slotted at 4 for the reception of the upper sliders 6 which are provided with upper'butts 8 and lower butts 10. A typical arrangement of these butts is such that the lower butts 10 are all long except for a panel of short butts on sliders associated with a group of sole needles to permit proper cam insertion and withdrawal in conventional fashion. The upper butts 8 on sliders associated with sole needles are long except for a small panel in the mid portion of the sole needle series wherein the butts are of intermediate length. The butts 8 of the sliders associated with needles which form the instep are short. The doubleended latch needles are indicated at 12.

The lower cylinder is indicated at `14 and is slotted -at 16 to receive the lower sliders 18 which are provided with upper butts 20 and lower butts 22. The upper butts 20 are the knitting butts and are long in the instep series of sliders and of intermediate length in the sole series except for a panel of short butts within this series to permit the stepping in and out of cams in usual fashion.

The lower butts 22 are ydifferentiated in that those associated with sole needleshave long or alternate long and medium butts while those associated with instep needles have shortbutts, the arrangement being such as to make possible the knitting of a plain sole with patterned instep. The two types of results secured by the two -alternative arrangements of the sole butts 22 are hereafter described.

Cooperating with the needles are the conventional arcuate sinkers 24.

Located Vabove the upper sliders in the slots of the upper cylinder are pattern jacks 26. Each of these is provided with a series of pattern butts 32 at various selected levels. The lowermost and uppermost of the butts, designated 32' and 32 respectively, have special functions as will appear hereafter and are not Iused for pattern selection, these butts being present on each of the jacks.

Referring now particularly to Figure 2, the lower forward stitch cam at the main feed is 'indicated at 48 and the lower reverse stitch cam at 50, there being located between these the center cam 52. Cam 54 raises needles which have taken yarn at the main feed to tuck level and these needles are then moved downwardly by cam 59' to miss the yarn fed at 61 at the auxiliary feed. The

, various cams just mentioned are associated with the main v mechanism to form designs in different colors.

Top cam 58 and stitch cam 60 are provided at the auxiliary feed where yarn is fed at the location 61. Cams 62 and 64 effect clearing of the needles in the lower cylinder following the auxiliary feed.

Heels and toes are formed in conventional fashion utilizing the raising pickers 66 and 68 and the lowering picker 70 which is shown in Figure 2 in its inactive position,

Stitch cam 72 acts on the knitting butts of upper sliders at the main feed and clearing of the needles in the upper cylinder following the main feed is effected by the action of cams 74 and 76. Upper sliders are moved upwardly at the auxiliary feed by cam 78 to position them for further movement by auxiliary stitch cam 80. Clearing following the auxiliary feed is effected by cams 82 and 84, and the upper sliders are later, following patterning actions, moved by cams 86 and 37 in their approach to stitch cam '7 2.

Transfer of needles from the lower cylinder to the upper cylinder is controlled by cams 88 and 9i) and the usual cam 92 which serves to disengage needles from the upper ends of the lower sliders and also to disengage needles being transferred downwardly or involved in the selecting operations hereafter described from the lower ends of upper sliders. Cams 94 and 96 act on lower sliders to move them downwardly following transfer preceding the ring toe and welt. Transfer of needles from the upper cylinder to the lower cylinder is controlled by cams 98 and lili), the former being active only under conditions when selectivity of transfer is not involved, such as before and after the heel, and at the beginning of the ring toe. Following transfer the upper sliders are raised by cam 102.

The transferring actions have been described with reference to usual transfer actions. As will shortly lappear various of the transfer cams are also involved in the selectivity of needles in the lower cylinder in accordance with the invention.

The lowermost butts 32 and uppermost butts 32 of the pattern jacks 26 are acted upon by cams 103 and 108, respectively. In addition to these there may be provided other cams which are, however, not concerned with the present invention and are not shown, being at any 4rate inactive during the openations pertinent to the present invention.

A stack of cams indicated at 114, selectively controlled from a pattern drum 115 are arranged for action upon the selected butts 32 of the pattern jacks. The connections between the pattern drum and the cams 114 may be as described in said Bristow Patent 2,717,509 and need not be referred to in detail herein. As pointed out in said patent the pattern drum may have controlling pins arranged in levels double the number of levels of the cams 114 and the pattern drum may be vertically movable to increase greatly the number of selections possible and thereby the elaborateness of the patterns formed.

Comparison of what has been described above with said Bristow patent will make clear that the various conventional operations of the machine described may, with some exceptions which will be explained later, be carried out in quite conventional fashion, including the formation of rib tops, the knitting of heels and toes, links-links work, etc. The present invention is concerned solely with the formation of designs in the leg and foot portions of a stocking otherwise conventional and which may even involve, if desired, links-links work. The present invention is concerned primarily with the selection of needles to cause them to either knit or float in the lower cylinder under the control of the pattern jacks in the upper cylinder. For this purpose parts of the devices which are involved in transfer operations are utilized. The operation may be best made clear by considering the controls for alternative paths of the needles in the lower cylinder.

Preliminarily to patterning in accordance with the invention the needles are divided between the upper and lower cylinder in desired fashion by conventional transfer actions under control of one or more of the cams Vduce downward transfer of a needle.

114 `acting on butts 32 at corresponding levels. (Usually a division of needles for 1 x 1 rib formation is accomplished by having butts 22 of alternate lower sliders respectively long and short so that the division' may be effected by cam when in position to engage long butts but miss short butts. In the present case the lower butts 22 are desirably used to produce plain soles by the action of cam 116 as will be described, the sliders associated with sole needles having either long butts 22 or alternate long and medium butts depending on the type of plain sole desired, while the other sliders have short butts. Hence the rib selection between upper and lower cylinders is in this case desirably carried out by utilizing one or more of the cams 114.)

The division of the needles between the two cylinders may be whatever is desired, but for simplicity of description it will be first assumed that a 1 x 1 division of the needles is involved.

Starting at the right of Figure 2, the upper butts 8 of all of the upper sliders enter the cams along the path A while the upper butts of the lower sliders enter the cams along the path B, being raised to clear height over the cam 88. Considering first the upper sliders which carry needles, thesesliders pass the cams 114 without engagement of their jacks thereby and miss the withdrawn cam 98 and consequently the upper butts 8 follow the path C. The lower butts `are raised by the cams 86 and 87 and then by stitch cam 72 to take 'yarn at the main feed 57. Clearing then takes place through the action of cams 74 and 76 and yarn is taken at the auxiliary feed 61 as the upper sliders move upwardly under the action of cams 78 and 80. Clearing then takes place through the action of cams 82 and 84 bringing the upper sliders to the position rst indicated. As a result of the foregoing all of the needles in the upper cylinder knit at both feeds.

There may now be considered the paths of lower sliders which are associated with needles in ythe lower cylinder but which yare not selected downwardly by the action of a cam 114. The slider path about to be described is also taken by the empty lower sliders. Following rise over cam 88 to heel height the lower sliders move horizontally at a constant level above and past the center cam 52, except Where slightly lowered and raised by cams and 97 respectively, so that yarn from the main feed 57 is placed below their latches. They are then lowered to clear height by cam 69 and proceed to engagement with cam 58 being lowered by this cam and stitch cam 60 to take yarn and knit at the auxiliary feed 61.` At this time the yarn from the main feed is cast off as a oat. 'Ihe needles are then raised to(clear height by the cams 62 and 64.

In the oase of a needle and associated slider which are to be selected to knit at the main feed the following occurs:

The slider rises over cam 88 and then passes over cam 118 which has a tail portion 120 to prevent any premature downward movement of the sliders. A corresponding upper slider 6 is moved downwardly at D through the downward movement of its associated pattern jack ,at E by the action of one of the cams 114 on a butt 32. The lowering which occurs at D is continued at F by cam and the upper slider thus moved downwardly is then again raised by cam `102. The movement thus imparted to an empty upper slider is the same movement which is imparted to `an upper slider to pro- In this case, however, the downward movement of the upper slider is for the purpose of engaging it with a needle carried by a lower slider. For the purpose of proper selection the upper slider must fully engage the hook of the needle and for this purpose its proper lowering is insured by a small levelling cam 122 which engages its butt 10 and by the usual spring band 7 as seen in Figure 1 which presses inwardly on the upper slider below its butt 10 to insure that the ledge 126 of the slider is properly engaged with the upper hook of the needle. Furthermore, to insure the needle being at the proper elevation for engagement with the upper slider, cam 95 lowers the lower slider 18 by butt 22 so that butt 20 is resting on the tail 120 of cam 118, thus preventing further downward movement of the needle at the time of engagement. Accordingly, as movement proceeds at F down cam 100 the lower slider and needle are forced downwardly by the movement of `the upper slider, the butt 20` of the lower slider taking the path G so that this slider and the needle are lowered to clearing height. Following this the dividing cam 92 acts in the usual fashion to disengagerthe upper slider from the needle ho'ok and the upper slider is then retracted upwardly by cam 102.

`By reason of the lowering at G the lower slider then proceeds horizontally to engage the center cam 52 and then stitch cam 48 to take yarn and knit at the main feed 57.

The lower slider is then raised by cam 54 to tuck height and engages the cam 59 by which it is displaced prematurely with respect to feed 61 so that its needle misses the yarn at the auxiliary feed. Following slight lowering by stitch cam 60 the slider under discussion then rises over cams 62 and 64 to clearing height.

During the actions above described the pattern jacks rise over cam 103 and are lowered by cam 10S to a level for subsequent selection by cams 114.

It will be evident from the above, that the result of these operations is that the needles in the upper cylinder knit at both feeds while those in the lower cylinder knit at only one feed. A cross-over action is involved so that each needle which knits at the mainfeed misses the yarn at the auxiliary feed, and each needle which misses the yarn at the main feed -knits at the auxiliary feed.

Usually plain soles are desired and when this is the case the cam 116 may be moved inwardly to engage long and .mediumvbutts but miss short butts with the result that the sole needles which have received yarn at the main feed will also take yarn at the auxiliary feed, being raised by the cam 116 along path H over the cam 59 so as to engage the cams 58 and 60 resulting in a sole without pattern but having parted courses of alternate colors. However, an attractive plain sole may be produced by moving cam 116 inwardly to engage only the alternate long butts 22 of the sole series of sliders, thus permitting the intervening medium butt sliders to remain at a low level with their needles missing the yarn at the auxiliary feed, while the needles associated with the long butt sliders take yarn and knit at both feeds. The fabric produced by the latter method is shown in Figure of R. W. Scott Patent No. 1,317,897.

During the patterning operations above described the cams 116, 98, 96-and 90 are withdrawn (except during plain sole formation when cam 116 has the action just described). The cams 90 and 98 are involved in transfer and the cam 96, which is vertically movable, is used to continue the lowering of needles after withdrawal of cam 98 and is active only at the beginning of the ring toe and welt. Cam 69 is out of action during the knitting of the heel and toe, and cam 116 is moved asdescribed to engage long or long and medium butts 22 for plain sole formation. Cam 59 is xed throughout all operations.

In conventional machines of the superposed cylinder type a cam corresponding to 96 is used to lower into the knitting path needles which have been inactive during heel and toe knitting and under this cam and moving with it is an inverted cam generally used to raise the instep needles to an inactive level where they remain during the same operations. However, in the present machine the function of cam 96 is somewhat different and the raising o f needles, rather than by the inverted cam, is accomplished by cam 88. Their special operation, together with ,the operationof other cams in the present machine, may

. be described as follows:

During the loopers rounds all needles are operating in the lower cylinder with cams 88 and 90 fully withdrawn and cam 96 in its lower position so that butts 20 follow a horizontal path at clear height under cam 118 In order to transfer alternate needles to the upper cylinder prior to beginning the welt of the next stocking a cam 114 correspondingto butts 33 only (see Figure 2) on jacks associated with the sliders of the intermediate needles, i.e.,

those which are to knit in the lower cylinder, moves into action, as does cam 90, while cam 88 moves partially in opposite short butts 20 to engage medium butts and move fully in. All needles `are now being transferred to the upper cylinder and through theaction of cam 114 which is stepped in to first engage and lower long butts and then short butts of the series 33 the intermediate needles are returned to the lower cylinder where they remain during l x l rib knitting. After the transfer, and just prior to beginning of the welt, cam 90, used only to complete the transfer of ,needles to the upper cylinder, is stepped outy of action, as is the cam-114 which lowered the intermediate jacks by action on butts 33, and carn 108 is raised in order that the jacks 26 may not be lowered to interfere with sliders 6 during the welting operation.

While knitting the rib top, cam 88 is left in action but since cam 90 is inactive the lower sliders do not reach the dividing cam 92 and, consequently, no transfer is effected. However, while the top is being knit and preparatory to beginning a transfer which will be necessary if a leg having a different rib arrangement is desired, cam 88 is moved out to miss the medium and short butts 20 allowing them to pass at clear height to provide a gap so that when starting the transfer, cam 90 may be moved fully in, to raise sliders 18 by rst engaging--thebutts 22 of sliders having long butts 20 which are being elevated by cam 88. At thistime cam 88 is fully returned to feed Aall lower sliders to cam 90 transferring all needles to the upper cylinder. During this operation cam 69 is moved into action, cam 96 is raised, cam 116 is stepped out of action and cam 108 is lowered to engage butts 32 of selectors 26 and feed butts 32 to their respective cams 114, certain of which are in action due to the arrangement of pins in the pattern drum 115, causing desired needles to be transferred to knit yin the lower cylinder.

On the last revolution prior to reversal of the needle cylinder to begin heel knitting, cam 9S is moved in opposite the short vbutts 8 of the upper sliders to engage and lower the sliders having long and medium butts, transferring the needles of the sole series, which have been in the upper cylinder, to the lower cylinder. Cam 88 moves out to miss .the medium and short butts 20 of the lower sliders of the sole series and cam 98 is completely withdrawn. While the upper sliders are beingy lowered by cam 98 all cams 114 `are withdrawn, cam 108 is fully raised and cam 69 is withdrawn permitting the lower instep sliders to follow their inactive heel height path. The lower sliders after passing down stitch cam 48 have been rising on cam 54 and moving down under cam 59, but, as just described, the cams have now been arranged to place the lower instep sliders in the inactive heel race, and in order toelevate the lower sole sliders to their clearing or knitting race preparatory to the rst reverse stroke of the needle cylinder, cam 58 is fully withdrawn and cam 116 is introduced during passage'of short butts 22 to engage and elevate the lower sole sliders having medium and long butts 22. Heel knitting then proceeds in conventional fashion.

As the needle cylinder begins to rotate atcornpletion of the heel, cam 98 is moved in opposite the medium butts v 8 to first engage and lower long butt upper sliders and is then further moved in to also lower the medium butt sliders on the next .and following revolutions of the cylinder in order that the sole needles may all knit at the mainffeed throughout the foot. At the same time cam 8S is moved in opposite the short butts 20 of the lower sliders and while raising the medium butt sliders is moved 7 fully into elevate all lower sliders so that the pattern may continue in the instep. In order that selection of the lower sliders from heel height to clear height may begin properly it is necessary that the first long butt 8 of the upper sliders lowered by cam 98, be that `associated with the leading medium butt 20 of the lower sliders elevated by cam 88. Also at this time cam S is fully lowered and selector cams 114 are moved into action again under control of the pattern drum 115, and cams 58 and 69 are reintroduced. Two types of plain sole have previously been described and if it is desired to make that having alternate courses of each color, cam 116 is moved in to elevate lower sliders having medium and long butts 22, while if the other type is to be made, cam 116 is introduced to raise only the lower sliders having long butts 22.

Going into the advances or ring toe, where all patterning is stopped, cam 98 is moved fully in to transfer all needles to the lower cylinder with the lower sliders in the knitting race and cam 58 is withdrawn to stop knitting at the auxiliary feed. Cam 96 is lowered, selector cams 114 are withdrawn and cam 10S is raised out of action, Cam 98 is now fully withdrawn, cam 69 is moved out of action and cam 116 is moved in to raise sliders having short, as well as long or medium butts 22. Since cam 88 is not taken out of action until beginning the toe, cam 96 is left in its active position to return all lower sliders to the knitting race.

Beginning the toe, cam 8S is withdrawn to miss medium and short butts 20, but continues to raise the long butts or those on the sliders which are initially inactive during the toe, and cam 96 is raised out of action ahead of the last passage of the long butt sliders just prior to the rst reverse stroke.

During the toe, cam 88 is fully withdrawn.

Reference has been made to movements of various cams. These are effected in conventional fashion from the main cam drum of the machine and their operating levers and connections need not be described.

Reference may now be made to Figures 3 and 4 which show one type of general design which may be produced by the foregoing operations. In this case to show the operation more generally, the division of needles between the upper and lower cylinders is not l x l, but needles in the upper cylinder are arranged in pairs with a considerable number of needles adjacent to each other in the lower cylinder, the arrangement being such, for example, as to produce 5 X 2 or other broad rib fabric. As shown in Figure 4 the rib Wales 130 are knit two-feed while the frame wales 132 have patterning produced therein by the selective knitting and oating at the two feeds as described above. kThe only practical limitation on the number of frame needles which may be in each group is that of limitation of the oat lengths which are desirably kept reasonably short. It will, of course, be obvious that in certain patterns in which long oats would not occur there may be a quite considerable number of frame needles adjacent to each other. It may be here noted that the plain sole of the stocking produced may be knit on needles in the lower cylinder only, all `of theneedles of the sole series being left down following the completion of the heel for which they are all moved downwardly in usual fashion or some of them allowed to float at the auxiliary feed as previously described. It will be evident that needle transfer is not interfered with by the selection for knitting and iioating which has been described, and thus the stocking aside from the particular pattern features to which the invention relates may have structures which are conventional in production by superposed cylinder machines.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate another type of design which is particularly desirable. In this case the needles are distributed in l X l rib fashion as will be clear from Figure 6. By reason of the fact that the face ribs of the fabric draw together and in relaxed fabric tend to hide the'rib wales which are knit two-feed, the resulting appearance involves broad areas such as 134 and 136 of a single color. Despite these broad areas no iioats of more than one wale extent are produced.

Additionally argyle designs are produced as indicated at 138, these being in contrasting color to the areas on which they are superposed. In Figure 6 the particular stitches which are diagonally aligned to provide the overplaid are designated at X.

It may be noted that the rib wales are well hidden from the face of the fabric even if they comprise groups of more than one Wale. For example, the two Wale ribs shown in Figure 4 are well hidden from the face of the fabric unless it is quite substantially stretched.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that various selections of structure may be provided in accordance with the invention and also that various details of the mechanism may be changed without departing from the invention as deiined in the following claims.

What is claimed is: 1

1. A knitting machine comprising superposed cylinders, needles, sliders in both cylinders for control of needles, pattern jacks in one of said cylinders, pattern devices controlling said jacks, means for feeding yarns at two feeding stations, and cams controlling the formation of stitches at said feeding stations by needles in both cylinders, said pattern devices and cams providing means effecting movements of needles operating in the cylinder containing the pattern jacks, during the formation of one portion of fabric, to take and knit yarns at both of said feeding stations, said pattern devices and cams additionally providing means effecting movements of certain needles operating in the other cylinder, during the formation of the same portion of fabric, to take and knit yarn at one of said feeding stations but miss yarn at the other of said feeding stations, and said pattern devices and cams additionally providing means effecting movements of other needles operating in the last mentioned cylinder, during formation of the same portion of fabric, to take and knit yarn at the second mentioned feeding station but miss yarn at the first mentioned feeding station, said pattern devices effecting through said jacks selection of the needles in the last mentioned cylinder so respectively ltaking and knitting the yarns at the two feeding stations during the formation of said portion of fabric.

2. A knitting machine according to claim 1 in which said pattern devices and cams additionally provide means effecting movements ofstill other needles operating in the last mentioned cylinder, during the formation of said portion of fabric, to take and knit yarns at both of said feeding stations.

3. A knitting machine according to claim 2 in which the needles are disposed in the two cylinders to form ribs during the formation of said portion of fabric.

4. A knitting machine according to claim 2 in which the needles are disposed in the two cylinders to form l x 1 ribs during the formation of said portion of fabric.

5. A knitting machine according to claim 2 in which the needles are disposed in the two cylinders to form broad ribs during the formation of said portion of fabric.

6. A knitting machine according to claim 1 in which the needles are disposed in the two cylinders to form ribs during the formation of said portion of fabric.

7. A knitting machine according to claim 1 in which the needles are disposed in the two cylinders to form 1 X l ribs during the formation of said portion of fabric.

8. A knitting machine according to claim l in which the needles are disposed in the two cylinders to form broad ribs during the formation of said portion of fabric.

9. A knitting machine comprising superposed cylinders, needles, sliders in both cylinders for control of needles, pattern jacks in one of said cylinders, pattern devices controlling said jacks, means for feeding yarns at two feeding stations, and cams controlling the formation of stitches at said feeding stations by needles in both cylindefs? Sad Pattern devices and cams providing means eeeting movements of needles operating in the cylinder containing the pattern jacks, during the formation of one portion of fabric, to take and knit yarns at both f said feeding stations, said pattern devices and cams additionally providing means effecting movementsof certain needles operating inthe other cylinder, during the formation of the same portion of fabric, to take and knit yarn at one of said feeding stations but miss yarn at the other of said feeding stations, and said pattern devices and cams additionally providing means effecting movements of other needles operating in the last mentioned cylinder, during formation of the same portion of fabric, to take and knit yarn at the second mentioned feeding station but miss yarn at the first mentioned feeding station, said pattern devices effecting through said jacks selection of the needles in the last mentioned cylinder so respectively taking and knitting the yarns at the two feeding stations during the formation of said portion of fabric, said jacks effecting the last mentioned selection by causing sliders in their cylinder to push lengthwise needles engaged with sliders in the other cylinder.

10. A knitting machine comprising superposed cylinders, needles, sliders in both cylinders for control of needles, pattern jacks in one of said cylinders, pattern devices controlling said jacks, means for feeding yarns at two feeding stations, and cams controlling the formation of stitches at said feeding stations by needles in both cylinders, said pattern devices and cams providing means effecting movements of needles operating in the cylinder containing the pattern jacks, during the formation of one portion of fabric, to take and knit yarns at both of said feeding stations, said pattern devices and cams additionally providing means effecting movements of certain needles operating in the other cylinder, during the formation of the same portion of fabric, to take and knit yarn at one of said feeding stations but miss yarn at the other of said feeding stations, and said pattern devices and cams additionally providing means effecting movements of other needles operating in the last mentioned cylinder, during formation of the same portion of fabric, to take and knit yarn at the second mentioned feeding station but miss yarn at the first mentioned feeding station, said pattern devices effecting through said jacks selection of the needles in the last mentioned cylinder so respectively taking and knitting the yarns at the two feeding stations during the formation of said portion of fabric, said jacks eeeting the last mentioned selection by causing sliders in their cylinder to push lengthwise needles engaged with sliders in the other cylinder, and means for causing those needles, which are pushed lengthwise due to the last mentioned action of the pattern jacks, to take and knit yarn at the feeding station immediately following the pushing action.

11. A knitting machine comprising superposed cylinders, needles, sliders in both cylinders for control of needles, pattern `vjacks in one of said cylinders, pattern devices controlling said jacks, means for feedingyarns at two feeding stations, and cams controlling the formation of stitches at said feeding stations by needles in both cylinders, said pattern devices and cams providing means effecting movements of needles operating in the cylinder containing the pattern jacks, during the formation of one portion of fabric, to take and knit yarns at both of said feeding stations, said pattern devices and cams addiltionally providing means elfecting movements of certain needles operating in the other cylinder, during the formation of the same portion of fabric, to take and knit yarn at one of said feeding stations but miss yarn at the other of said feeding stations, and said pattern devices and cams additionally providing means effecting movements of other needles operating in the last mentioned cylinder, during formation of the same portion of fabric, to take and knit yarn at the second mentioned feeding station but miss yarn at the lirst mentionedfeeding station, said pattern devices effecting through said jacks selection of the needles in the last mentioned cylinder so respectively taking and knitting the yarns at the two feeding stations during the formation of said portion of fabric, said cams providing means causing the needles, which fail to take and knit yarn at one of said feeding stations, to move past it at a level at which they are too high to receive #yarns in their hooks, and providing means causing the needles, which fail to take and knit yarn at the other of said feeding stations, to move past the latter at a level at which they are too low to receive yarn in their hooks.

Bristow Sept. 13, 195,5V 

